Blu-ray of hope

GIZMO GALLERY

2008 has been Blu-ray's best year, yet questions persist over software availability and format viability.

This year marks Blu-ray's best year yet. Blu-ray Disc, primarily backed by Sony, finally won the "format war" against HD DVD that had Toshiba's support. And now, all major Hollywood studios plan titles in the format.

The Sony BDP-S300 plays back Blu-ray discs and also the standard DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RW discs. In addition, via HDMI outputs, standard DVDs can be upscaled to match the 720p, 1080i, or 1080p native resolution of HDTV's, providing an enhanced viewing experience from standard DVDs.

The picture quality is stunning. Every Blu-ray movie that was watched during this review looked sharper and more detailed than standard DVDs. There's a 3D-feel to the picture. The menu from some discs like Pirates of the Caribbean and Happy Feet was written using a Java version higher than the version the player is shipped with. The solution is a firmware upgrade. This upgrade must be done through downloading a CD image from Sony's website, burning this image to a CD or DVD and then loading the disc into the player.

Start-up and load times averaged around 10-15 seconds that is much slower than a standard DVD player. The Sony player also didn't respond to remote commands as quickly as one is accustomed with typical DVD players.

As against this, Sharp's Blu-ray Disc player, the BD-HP20U is up and ready to receive a disc in less than 6 seconds. Aside from a great picture, great sound, and a fast response time, the Sharp's BD-HP20U doesn't offer much. It lacks an ethernet port, Divx support (common on competing Blu-ray Disc players), and picture-in-picture BonusView support. Even the included USB port is limited "" it can be used only for firmware updates, not for running images or media files.  The Sony BDP's remote too, leaves a lot to be desired. It's not bad per se but the smallish buttons combined with the fact it's not back-lit doesn't exactly make for an intuitive user experience in a darkened room.  Sharp's downside "" lose the remote and you are in trouble. The sole buttons on the front panel are Power and Open/Close. While questions, such as software availability and format viability over the long term, are still a concern, most Blu-ray players are compatible with the standard DVD formats as well as most recordable DVD formats.  If you're in the market for Blu-ray player, options are going to be limited and price tags restrictive. But if you are still willing to take the plunge, then place your bet on the Sony BDP-S300 "" available for Rs 29,990 or pay Rs 22,000 for the Sharp BD-HP20U.